Harry Potter fans, this Butterbeer Cake is for you! Butterscotch cake, cream soda, and marshmallow all in one spellbinding dessert. The perfect Harry Potter Cake!
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to do a Harry Potter themed recipe. I am a huge fan of the books and movies, so the fact that I have a Game of Thrones themed cake and no Harry Potter cake is shameful, really. Alas, that all changes today with this Butterbeer Cake!
What is Butterbeer?
I’m going to go ahead and blame the delay on this recipe on the fact that I actually didn’t try Butterbeer until very recently. In fact, I didn’t think I’d like it. I don’t like butterscotch, or cream soda, or pop, so I was expecting to hate it through and through for its sickly sweetness. I was only going to to try it so I could say I had.
My first introduction to Butterbeer was over the summer while we were in London. I dragged Ryan, his dad, and his stepmom (some more willingly than others) to the Warner Brothers Studios to do the Harry Potter tour. Ryan and I bought one Butterbeer to share because I swore I would only have one sip of it. Souvenir glass? Pshh, why would I want one??
Needless to say, I finished half the drink before Ryan could even have a sip of it. SO. GOOD. It doesn’t really taste like butterscotch or cream soda, just of some delicious combination of flavours and heavenly marshmallow creme topping. I didn’t even care that it was carbonated (which I normally don’t like).
Is there alcohol in butterbeer?
Contrary to the name, there is actually no alcohol in Butterbeer at all. The fizzy beverage is all ages friendly. However, if you’re looking to incorporate a bit of booziness into this Harry Potter Cake, you can always soak the layers in a Butterscotch schnapps simple syrup!
What are the different kinds of Butterbeer?
As much as I loved the original pop-like version of Butterbeer, I didn’t know there were actually superior versions of this!
Fast forward a few months and we’re in Orlando celebrating my birthday, which includes numerous days at the Disney parks and, of course, Universal to check out the Harry Potter lands, among other things. My friend Eva insisted that I HAD to try the frozen Butterbeer, and that it was better than the original.
Lunch on our first day was at the Leaky Cauldron (for real!!) and that’s where we ordered our frozen Butterbeer. We had planned to get an original Butterbeer too, but the girl taking our order asked if we wanted to try the warm Butterbeer. She said it was her favourite and they only have it available during the colder months. We did not have high hopes for it, but ordered it anyhow.
Both the frozen (like a slush) and the warm were leaps and bounds better than the original. How do you improve on something that’s already so good, right?? I think the warm one was my favourite, actually. Perfectly comforting and delicious. Needless to say, I had Butterbeer Cake running through my mind before we even left the parks.
This butterscotch cake gave me a little bit of trouble in terms of nailing down the perfect texture, flavour, and color. The first batch was probably the best bake overall, except I could only find hot pink cream soda, so that’s what I used. Unfortunately, this made the layers an ombre kinda pink when I cut into them. The layers also shrank quite a bit post-baking, so I probably overbaked it.
For the second attempt at this Butterbeer Cake, I managed to find clear cream soda, but that same store didn’t have the exact brand of pudding that I used the first time, so I tried the store brand. The cake baked up with a whole lot of tunnelling through it — either due to the brand of pudding I used, or due to improper mixing techniques. Likely the latter. Sigh.
Attempt #3 used Jell-O instant pudding, clear cream soda, and proper mixing. Success! The first two batches were happily eaten anyway — naked cake layers and all — and they were delicious.
This Butterbeer Cake, like the drinks, is fairly sweet — but it’s intended to be. I mean, you’re combining cream soda, butterscotch, and marshmallow… it’s kinda hard to tone that down (and why would you want to).
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, or have one in your life, you’re going to want to add this Harry Potter Cake to your baking list!
Looking for more Butterbeer desserts?
Tips for this Butterbeer Harry Potter Cake
- The color of your cream soda will affect the color of your cake. Try to find clear or brown cream soda (ideally).
- I tried the recipe for this butterscotch cake with a couple different instant pudding mixes and found the Jell-O one to yield best results. Other brands will work okay, though. I did not use fat-free.
- I used clear vanilla extract as it has a sweeter, cream-sodaish flavour, but you can use regular vanilla instead. I boiled mine for about 5mins to reduce it a bit, as it was a little on the thin side. You can also use homemade.
- Adding butterscotch sauce between the layers is a delicious flavour burst, but it will make your cake more susceptible to sliding around during assembly. You can place 3-4 bamboo skewers into the top of the cake as support. You’ll need to trim the skewers to the proper height of the cake.
- I used store-bought butterscotch sauce due to laziness, but you could easily make your own. Note that I had to boil the store-bought one for 5mins to reduce it, as it was a bit thin.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Butterbeer Cake
Ingredients
Butterbeer Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsps baking powder
- 3.5 oz butterscotch instant pudding mix one package
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups cream soda clear
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract *
Marshmallow Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 14 oz marshmallow fluff store bought or homemade
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
Assembly:
Instructions
Butterbeer Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, pudding mix, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and cream soda, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of cream soda). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for about 40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
Marshmallow Frosting:
- Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat for 3 mins.
- Add marshmallow fluff and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy (2-3mins).
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Top with 1-2 Tbsp butterscotch sauce (optional), swirl into frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins. ***
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Using a teaspoon, drizzle butterscotch sauce along the top edges of the chilled cake, allowing some to drip down. Pipe dollops on the top using an Ateco 867 or Wilton 6B tip. Fill in the top of the cake with more butterscotch sauce and spread evenly. Sprinkle with gold sanding sugar if desired.
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Notes
** I boiled mine for about 5mins to reduce it a bit as it was a little on the thin side. You can also use homemade.
*** Adding butterscotch sauce between the layers is a delicious flavour burst, but it will make your cake a little more susceptible to sliding around during assembly. You can place 3-4 bamboo skewers into the top of the cake as support. You'll need to trim the skewers to the proper height of the cake. Marshmallow buttercream recipe adapted from The Cake Blog.
Gina says
Hi!
Thanks for this recipe!
I’m going to try this cake next week for my daughter’s 18th birthday, but in this time of self quarantining and grocery hoarding, I can’t find any instant butterscotch pudding mix, only cook and serve pudding mix. Do you think it would make a difference?
Olivia says
Hi Gina! I can’t say for certain, but if that’s all that you have then give it a try 🙂
Gina says
Thanks, trying it tomorrow 🤞
Megs says
Have you ever used this to make cupcakes? i have to bring treats to work next week and cupcakes are easier then cake. too thick for cupcakes?
Olivia says
Hi Megs! I haven’t myself but I know others have. It will work totally fine, all you need to do is adjust the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
Megs says
Thanks! I will be making them next week then!!!
Carol says
I just made this cake, and it is delicious! The only changes I made were adding 1/4 cup more cream soda because the batter seemed really thick to me, and I only used 1/3 cup frosting between the layers. It’s a surprise for my cousin, who will get it tomorrow, but I had some scraps from leveling the cakes and I couldn’t wait to try it. The cake would be good by itself, for those who don’t like frosting. The flavor is subtle, but it’s perfect. I absolutely love the frosting! I thought it would be too sweet with the marshmallow fluff, but it wasn’t at all. The consistency was great, not the best for intricate piping, but just fine for spreading and dollops on top. I would recommend following the advice to reduce your butterscotch sauce or buy a thicker brand. I could only find Smuckers in the squeeze bottle, and while it worked, it was messier than I would like and way too sweet.
Overall, amazing cake! This is definitely a new favorite.
Olivia says
Hi Carol! Thanks so much for your great feedback, I’m so glad you loved it! I love the frosting too 🙂
Phoebii says
Hi Liv,
I would love to try out this cake, but here in Singapore we do not have the Jell-O instant pudding mix. Do you know what can I substitute it with?
Thank you so much 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Phoebii! Hmm, good question. You can leave it out and increase the sugar to 1.5 cups, but it wont have the butterscotch flavour :\ Do you have butterscotch sauce that you can drizzle on the layers?
Phoebii says
Hi Liv,
Thank you for the reply, yes we do have butterscotch sauce here in Singapore. Maybe I will drizzle on the cake layers like what you said. Thank you once again 🙂
Linda Chan says
Hi Liv,
You did it again ! Thank you for another amazing recipe. I made this for my son’s 20th birthday and everyone loved it 🙂 I can’t decided which cake to make next 😉
Olivia says
Thanks so much Linda! I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it. I can’t wait to see what you make next!
Anisha says
Made this and it was a massive hit. The cake itself is super tasty. However, had lots of trouble with the frosting. It ended up being the consistency of what you get out of like a duncan hines or betty crocker tub of frosting. It was both sticky but also wouldn’t really spread and wanted to clump together. Not fluffy like a regular buttercream. I used it in the layers and then ended up doing a basic vanilla buttercream on the outside because I couldn’t do a crumb coat with the other one to save my life.
Any ideas what I may have done wrong? I’d like to try my hand at this again just so I can get it right.
Olivia says
Hi Anisha! So glad the cake was a hit, but sorry you had troubles with the buttercream! I remember mine being more on the softer side due to the marshmallow fluff, but it was not sticky or anything. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? What brand of mm fluff did you use?
Ani says
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to try t myself. Question, what did you use for the drip effect on the outside?
Olivia says
Hi Ani! I used a teaspoon to do the drip.
Lindsey York says
Hi, I am so excited to try this cake. Did you use Jello instant butterscotch pudding or the cook and serve? Im having some trouble finding jello butterscotch instant pudding mix. Thank you for your help.
Olivia says
Hi Lindsey! I used instant. You could give it a try with the cook and serve. I’m not sure how it would affect the texture though.
Alaina Infantino says
Hi—-how many cups of batter does this recipe yield? I would like to turn it into a 2 tier cake—-one 8-inch and one 10-inch cake.
Olivia says
HI Alaina! I’ve never measured the cups of batter before. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
audrei says
I find instead of strait butterscotch in between the layers i thinned it and turned it into a soak for the cake. so good. you can thin it with the cream soda. it makes for an even more moist cake. you can also do a circle of buttercream and. very thick almost fudge like in consistency butterscotch in yhe center for the inbetween layers. you get the tasty pop of flavor and no slippage of the layers. also if you like whipped topping make a whip cream and add your fluff. this whipped icing isnt as sweet. but just dont add as much fluff or you will have a gloppy mess. tasty cake I could barely keep from eating the batter.
Olivia says
Hi Audrei! I love the idea of a butterscotch soak on the cake. I’ll have to try that! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Mari says
Hi there! This cake looks amazing. Just curious if cake/frosting will hold in heat or out of refrigerator?
Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Mari! What kind of heat? It will be ok out at room temperature for a few hours.
Sophie Geoghegan says
I think the metric conversions are wrong. I just made it and it was liquid. The 1 1/4 cups of creaming soda works out to 310 grams. And the recipe says 612gm. When I made it to the recipe it was all liquid. I can’t even remake it because I live in Australia and had to deprive order the pudding mix. It’s in the oven but I’m not holding much hope that it will taste or look very good. 😩
Olivia says
Hi Sophie! Sorry about the mishap! The metric conversions are automatically calculated by a tool and not something I verify. That seems like way too much for the grams so I’ve updated the recipe to reflect what it should be.
Laura says
Thanks for the recipe 🙂 I’m just wondering if I could substitute the pudding mix for vanilla instead? I’m in Australia and the American food import store only has the vanilla available. I’m thinking I could find some butterscotch essence maybe to make up for it.
Olivia says
Hi Laura! That should work totally fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Laura says
I used the vanilla and it turned out well! Thanks again 🙂
Olivia says
Glad to hear that!!
Courtney says
I’m thinking of making this for my daughter’s 11th birthday! If I make it a day ahead, does it need refrigeration or room temp? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Courtney! I always refrigerate my cakes once they’re assembled. I would do that and take it out 2-3 hours before serving.
Laura says
Hi! I’m going to try this cake today! So excited! Does this buttercream still crust up with the marshmallow fluff in it?
Olivia says
Hi Laura! Yes, it crusts a bit, but maybe not as much as straight up american buttercream.
Ginger says
This looks like the perfect cake for my Harry Potter loving son’s birthday. We need a cake that will feed a crowd. I see you used three 6″ cake pans. If I double the recipe do you think it would fit in 3 9″ cake pans? Thanks so much.
Olivia says
Hi Ginger! Doubled, the recipe will work for three 8″ cake pans. It will work in 9″ but the layers will be thinner.
Ginger says
I made the cake Saturday and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I did double and baked in 9 inch pans. The layers filled my 2 inch tall pans. I made my own Butterscotch sauce. Anyone reading this and planning to make the cake double, you will need skewers to keep the layers from sliding.
Olivia says
Thanks for the tip Ginger! So glad everyone loved it 🙂
Amy says
Tried this out to test it for a Harry Potter themed bridal shower, and it is superb. The crumb on the cake is perfection! I may use soda in all my cakes after this.
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Amy! I love the crumb on this one too 🙂
Angelique says
The sponge itself was delicious but the marshmallow icing was too sweet. If I make it again I think I will try a different icing. I was also thinking, since my cake layers were sliding as well, that it would work great as a poke cake.
Olivia says
Hi Angelique! Glad you liked the cake! The frosting is sweet for sure, but it evokes that sweet butterbeer foam 🙂
Keysi says
Oh! My daughter loves Harry Potter. And she was so excited when I tell her I will make this cake for her! Does the frosting okay with fondant? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Keysi! They frosting is a bit softer than a normal American buttercream due to the marshmallow fluff. I haven’t tried it under fondant myself :\ I hope you guys like it!!
Keysi says
I made this last week (without the fondant) and my daughter loved it! Well, everyone loved it! I just decreased the amount of sugar I put in the cake and frosting. But your recipe is so good!
Olivia says
Thanks so much!! Happy to hear that everyone liked it 😀
Amanda says
Hi. I’m going to trip this recipe this weekend. Do you think I can color this frosting to make a pink cake? I’ve never worked with marshmallow frosting, any recommendations?
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! It should be no problem to color, just be sure to use color gels and not liquid food coloring.
Kate K. says
This was so fun to read! I also tried my hand at making a butterbeer cake (albeit much more “rustic” than yours). Yours really turned out so beautiful!
Olivia says
Thank you!
Hpfanactic says
wow sounds so yummy. Is the cake sturdy lol I’m just wondering if I can use this I’m making a three tier cake plus sorting hat and wondering if I could use this as a ten round middle tier. Or would it be too moist?
Olivia says
Hi there! I find the cake quite sturdy, but have never used it for stacking/carving.
Laurie says
Hi! Being a HP fanatic I had to try this cake. Love, love the marshmallow buttercream! While making the cake I noticed that the instructions say to cream the butter and the sugars. Plural…sugars…so I re-read the instruction a few times, but still only saw the granulated sugar. Is there supposed to be some brown sugar in there or is the plural just a typo? I’m only asking because I wasn’t thrilled with the texture or taste of the cake alone. Love your recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Laurie! Good catch, it’s just a typing error. There is only the one sugar 🙂 What didn’t you like about the taste and texture? I’m curious in case it didn’t bake up properly for some reason.
Laurie says
The texture was very dense, almost chewy, not a cake-like crumb. The flavor wasn’t as sweet as I expected with the soda and butterscotch pudding additions, I could really taste the baking powder, so I’m not sure what happened. Don’t get me wrong though…it’s being eaten! 😉
Olivia says
Weird about the baking powder! What brand of pudding did you use? I wonder if that was a factor. I tried 3 different kinds and one of them (a store brand) baked up a dense and gummy cake.
Cindy Rodriguez says
Wow, wow, wow! I am definitely adding this to the ‘to-do’ list, or rather, ‘to-bake’, this year. My little guys are hardcore Harry Potter fans and I know they would love this. Looks amazing!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Cindy!
dori says
what size cake pans did you use?
Olivia says
Hi Dori! I used three 6″ but you could also use two 8″.
Elizabeth says
I used a double recipe to make a half sheet that I’m I the process of turning into a “copy” of Golblet of Fire. Seriously, this cake/frosting recipe is spot on when it comes to flavor. I’ll definitely be using it again!
Olivia says
Hi Elizabeth! Yay! I’m so happy to hear that you think the flavour is accurate — I thought so too! Please email me a pic of your finished cake!! I would love to see it 🙂
Rebecca says
Yes! I am a Harry Potter fan looking for a cake for a NYE party so this is obviously happening. Did you make your own marshmallow fluff or use store bought? Is the frosting sticky or difficult to spread?
Olivia says
Hi Rebecca! I’m so excited that you’re going to try this! I usually make my own marshmallow fluff, but I was lazy and used store-bought this time. The frosting is not sticky since it’s a buttercream with marshmallow fluff added into it, rather than straight up marshmallow fluff, which is crazy sticky. I did find piping of the dollops to be a bit different though due to the consistency — rather than breaking off like buttercream does, the frosting pulled up a bit. I think it worked out though 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
Rebecca says
I made this but in my haste to finish, I didn’t realize I needed to pipe the dollops on top first and then add the sauce. I did the sauce first and two seconds later my pretty piping was sliding down the side of the cake. Yikes! Luckily it was a family party and they don’t care!
Olivia says
Doh yeah, I’ve had that happen a couple times before, it’s the worst!! I hope everyone liked the cake 🙂
Marie says
This is so pretty and sounds absolutely delicious
Olivia says
Thank you! 🙂
Monica says
PC has an amazing clear cream soda I have to share 🙂 Totally important for any butterbeer sorcery.
Olivia says
Oh really?? Like Superstore?? You know, I’m not even sure I checked there — hah. Will look next time. Thank you!
Meg | Meg is Well says
Yay! A Harry Potter themed cake, it looks amazing!!! I still haven’t tried butterbeer but my sister just tried it at Universal Studios Hollywood this weekend and I’m pretty jealous.
Olivia says
It’s seriously SO good. I didn’t think it would be, but I’m totally hooked on Butterbeer and this cake!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I love how the caramel drips off the top. It looks super yummy and lucky for me I do like butterscotch!! I hate to admit this but I’ve never read or saw any of the Harry Potter books or movies. I think I should change that, don’t you? Love the cake.
Olivia says
Yesss, you need to change that!! They’re perfect for the holiday season too 🙂 Thank you Marisa!
Dana DeVolk says
All I can say is WOW. I need this in my life!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Dana! I hope you try it 🙂
Hakima says
I’m a die hard Harry Potter fan. I mean, really….I reference Harry Potter in my every day life, and will argue with anyone who think it’s lame. Ah, the good days of staying up until Midnight to get the latest book, or scrolling through Harry Potter forums, and buying ALL the HP merchandise ever made. My teenage years were filled with Harry Potter. It was legit my life.
But all that aside, this cake looks epic and I will be making it soon….just because. No occasion. None needed.
THANK YOU! 😀
Olivia says
Omg I know what you mean! I also waited in line at midnight for the book launches (dragged my then bf, now husband to them) and then didn’t put the book down until it was finished. Lugging the heavy hardcover books onto the train for my commute because I *needed* to read them. The movies were just as exciting. I miss those days!
I hope you like this cake as much as I did. Please report back!! 🙂